1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a radio frequency identification (RFID) transceiver and antenna element co-located with a conventional semiconductor device, a method for making same and the method of using the RFID devices of the present invention for locating, tracking and identifying semiconductor devices and the products in which they are implemented.
2. Description of Related Art
A radio-frequency identification (RFID) transceiver is a device that receives an electronic signal, generates a response signal, and then transmits the response signal. RFID transceivers have been used to locate, identify and track merchandise palettes, shipping containers on a palette or individual items within a container, on a retailer shelf or in use by an end user. The focus of RFID innovation has been on creating high volume, low cost RFID tags so that RFID devices can be universally deployed on low value items. Some attention has been paid to locating, identifying and tracking higher value items with RFID technology, but, since these items are less voluminous, cost reduction techniques (the efficiency benefits of using the RFID technology) can not be fully exploited.
Some RFID transceivers include one or more antennas that are electrically connected to an accompanying electronic circuit. The antenna portion of the RFID transceiver is generally many times larger than the electronic circuit itself. This is due to the common frequency bands utilized for RFID and the need for an antenna efficiency that provides sufficient range for the transmitted response signal. The incorporation of the antenna into the RFID IC package does reduce the cost significantly, but then the cost of the package becomes a significant portion of the RFID and limits the cost reduction possible.
Since the focus of RFID innovation has been on creating high volume, low cost RFID tags so that RFID devices can be universally deployed on low value items, there has been considerable attention paid to creating integrated circuits (ICs) that perform the RFID function.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,303,958 and 6,511,877 to Kanaya et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,424,263 and 6,496,113 to Lee et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,551 to Altwasser et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,220,516, 6,325,294 and 6,375,780 to Tuttle et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,315 to Glenn et al., describe semiconductor devices that simply have low cost RFID functionality through the benefit of integrated circuitry. U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,315 describes using an antenna on top of an RFID IC with an insulating layer between the IC and antenna with a connection on top of an integrated circuit (IC). Implementation of the antenna on the IC provides an RFID transceiver that is small in size, physically rugged, and relatively inexpensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,518,885 to Brady et al. describes innovative packaging for RFID semiconductor devices that allows for an ultra-thin height.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,342 to Brady et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,646,328 to Tsai; U.S. Pat. No. 6,107,920 to Eberhardt et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,402 to Rao Kodukula et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,796 to Gnadinger et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,408 to Brady et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,413 to Hugh et al. describe innovative antennas that can effectively be used with RFID semiconductor devices.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,112,940, 6,135,291 and 6,695,571 to Canella et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,971 to Mabry et al. describe the tracking and sorting of semiconductor devices by using separate RFID devices associated with the wafer and the sorting bins.
Attempts for using RFID devices for cost-effective circuit design and non-destructive fabrication test and analysis in order to verify the correctness, reliability, and functionality of integrated circuits after fabrication and ensure the widest coverage of trust issues for integrated circuits and using them for protection against reverse engineering have been described. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,828,753 and 6,209,098 to Davis, describe two integrated circuit chips with cryptographic engines used solely to encrypt outgoing information being output across the interconnect or to decrypt incoming information received from the interconnect. U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,690 to Moyer et al. describes access protection in an integrated circuit whereby access protection circuitry includes access attribute bits which are compared to the access attributes of a memory request. U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,225 to Smith describes a validity circuit that is used with an analog circuit in a mixed signal system to determine whether the supply voltage is at an adequate voltage level to assure stable operation of the analog circuit. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,452,411 and 6,559,671 to Miller et al. disclose a system for testing integrated circuit devices in which a tester communicates with a known good device through a channel. U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,496 to Buer describes security protection within an integrated circuit design and pertains particularly to integration of security modules on an integrated circuit so that operations cannot be probed or altered. U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,180 to Tanner describes a method and system for testing interconnected integrated circuits. U.S. Pat. No. 6,757,832 to Silverbrook et al. describes an authentication chip protected from unauthorized modification by storing data in intermediate states of the multi-level flash memory between the minimum and maximum voltage level states. U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,115 to Gressel et al. describes a monolithic integrated circuit with dual public key cryptographic protected central processing units in a computing device. U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,317 to Grisenthwaite relates to the validation of integrated circuit designs in which part of the design is obscured to maintain its confidentiality.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,890 describes a method to wirelessly authenticate laptops to prevent unauthorized users from being able to use the laptops. Also, many conventional car radios are disabled when removed from vehicles (i.e., the power supply) until the proper code is entered, to deter theft.
The above described patents concern using semiconductor technology to implement the RFID, antennas to be used with the RFID integrated circuits, tracking and sorting semiconductors using separate RFID devices or non-RFID circuit methods of verifying the correctness, reliability, functionality and trustworthiness of integrated circuits, or providing a means to protect an IC or enclosure from reverse engineering. As discussed above, although these patents describe methods that can reduce the cost and size of the RFID, further cost and size reduction is essential for widespread deployment of RFIDs.
It is desirable to provide a radio frequency identification (RFID) transceiver and antenna element co-located with a standard semiconductor device such that the semiconductor device can be located, tracked and identified itself.